The Importance of Ridge Vents

Roof ventilation is one of the most commonly overlooked factors when it comes to someone’s home. Most people focus on the appearance and cost of the roofs of their homes, but smart homeowners know that every system within the roof is key to having a strong and comfortable home. Ridge vents are one of the things that really help with the ventilation of a residential roof. What are ridge vents and why are they important? Expert roof replacement contractor Pawcatuck Roofing Co. is here to tell you! 

Function

Roof ridge vents are extremely helpful to a roofing system as they significantly reduce the amount of heat and moisture trapped within your attic. Normally, if they’re not installed, outside air will enter your home, go up to the attic, and stay there, becoming stuffy and stagnant and will eventually cause moisture buildup and place undue strain on your HVAC system. A ridge vent prevents that by simply giving trapped air another way to circulate out and escape. They are placed between the top of your roof sheathing and are covered by cap shingles, and the space between these two parts of your roof is where external pressure resides and pulls out the air, where it escapes as exhaust.

Benefit: Improved Air Flow

Because of how it functions, ridge vents are excellent assistants in promoting airflow within your home. Having great airflow within your home means a higher quality of indoor air, which will bring many benefits to your health and avoid problems related to heat and moisture (that are really bad for your home’s building materials). Normally, a ridge vent will have an external baffle and an interior weather filter. The filter’s job is to keep debris, insects and other unwanted stuff out of the system, while the baffle works by creating external pressure to pull out the air below. To know more, it is best to contact your trusted roofing contractor if you plan on having ridge vents installed soon.

Benefit: Ventilation

Ventilation is key to having a good attic and roofing system. Hot and stuffy air that is not vented properly out of your attic will lead to moisture buildup and make the attic space unbearably hot. If your attic is too hot, it can cause shingles on top of your roof to incur damage and your HVAC system will strain itself in trying to cool your home. Moisture can pose extreme risks to the structure of your roof. If it isn’t properly handled, your attic space will become a perfect area for mold, mildew and fungi to grow in, not to mention the effects of moisture buildup (rot and degradation) on organic cellulose building materials, also known as wood.

Contact Us!

Need a reputable roofing repair contractor to handle issues in your roofing system? Pawcatuck Roofing Co. has provided professional roofing contractor services for homeowners and commercial property owners since 1946. As one of the oldest, largest and most respected contractors in our service areas, we take pride in the results of our workmanship and the satisfaction of our customers. We are GAF Training Graduates, as well as a certified GAF Master Elite® Roofer, and have received the GAF Triple Excellence Award!

For any inquiries, you can reach us at (860) 940-2343 or fill out our contact form to request an estimate. We proudly serve clients and homeowners in New London, CT.